Blessing for the Torah:
Baruch atah YHVH, Eloheynu, Melech ha-O’lam, asher
bachar banu m’kol ha-amim,
v’natan lanu eht Torah-to. Baruch atah YHVH, noteyn
ha-Torah. Ameyn.”
(Blessed are you, YHVH, our Elohim , King of the Universe,
(Blessed are you, YHVH, our Elohim , King of the Universe,
you have selected us from among all the peoples,
and have given us your Torah. Blessed are you, YHVH,
giver of the Torah. Ameyn.)
Several years ago an old Chinese missionary who had
suffered much as a believer in his own country was invited to visit several
American churches. He was asked after his tour to these churches what it was
that impressed him the most about American Christians. He responded by saying
that he was deeply impressed about what these believers had accomplished
without the help of YHVH.
This Torah portion helps us realize that in our flesh
dwells no good thing - Rom 7:18 - “For I know
that in me, that is in my flesh, dwells no good”.
We as believers struggle to come to terms with this fact in our lives.
We simply cannot produce in ourselves what is desired to make us good and
acceptable to YHVH.
Rom 5:12 For this reason, even as through one man sin
did enter into the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all
men, because all sinned – It is for this reason that we mourn our true condition
before YHVH and live lives of deep repentance and humility before man and our
Creator.
Where
does YHVH dwell?
Yeshayahu/Isa 57:15
For thus declares the high and exalted One who dwells forever, whose
Name is set-apart, “I dwell in the high and set-apart place, with him who has a
bruised and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive
the heart of bruised ones.
Gen 21:1 And יהוה visited Sarah as He had said, and יהוה did for Sarah as He had spoken.
We see a pattern in scripture that whenever YHVH “visits”
us or a people, something happens (Heb –“asah”) this can be good and sometimes
not good.
We see this pattern confirmed in the next verse, YHVH visits
the 90 year old Sarah and she conceives, as a result of this visitation Sarah
gives birth to a son (vs 2)
YHVH still longs to visit His people - Rev
3:20 “See, I stand at the door and
knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I shall come in to him and
dine with him, and he with Me.
We are challenged to discern the “knocking on the door of
lives and situations” and then responding appropriately. This often opens up to
us great opportunities of blessing in our lives that otherwise would not have
been possible.
We see in the above verse in Revelation as well at the
passage of scripture in Matthew 25 about the parable of the 10 virgins that
YHVH often visits when we least expect it.
Tehillim/Psalm 15 gives us some very valuable instruction
concerning visiting and permanently dwelling in His presence.
Psa 15:1 יהוה, who does sojourn(visit as a guest) in Your Tent? Who does
dwell (permanently) in Your set-apart mountain?
Psa 15:2 He who
walks blamelessly, And does righteousness, And speaks the truth in his heart.
Psa 15:3 He has
not slandered with his tongue, He has not done evil to his neighbour, Nor
lifted up a reproach against his friend;
Psa 15:4 In whose
eyes a reprobate one is despised, But he esteems those who fear יהוה; He who
swears to his own hurt and does not change;
Psa 15:5 He has
not put out his silver at interest, And has not taken a bribe against the
innocent. He who does these is never moved.
Every time we come to the Torah to embrace its perfection
in its entirety we connect or visit with YHVH.
It may be only those who seek and desire such visitations
that will one day permanently dwell in His Presence on His Mountain - Tzion.
Gen 21:2 So Sarah
conceived and bore Aḇraham a son in his old age, at the “appointed time” (moed
in Hebrew) of which Elohim had spoken to him.
The sages believe this “appointed time” or “moed” was Yom
Teruah. This is interesting because there is much informed opinion that
believes that Yahshua could have been born at around the same time.
Gen 21:3 And Aḇraham
called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, Yitsḥaq.
Yitschaq means laughter. When something you have hoped
for eventually happens, laughter is often the spontaneous response to a long
expected blessing.
Tehilim/Psa 126:1 When יהוה turns back the captivity of Tsiyon, We shall be like dreamers.
Psa 126:2 Then our
mouth shall be filled with laughter, And our tongue with singing, Then shall
they say among the gentiles, “יהוה has done great deeds for
them.”
Psa 126:3 יהוה shall do
great deeds for us, We shall be glad.
We will have occasion to laugh in our lives and even if
it is not as often as we would like, we can expect some very serious laughter
that will take place in the future when we return to Tzion.
It is the joy of YHVH that makes us strong. Note not our own
joy it is His joy that brings great strength to us.
Neh 8:10 …. for the joy of יהוה is your strength.”
Tehillim/Psa 45:7 You have loved righteousness and hated
wrongness1; Therefore Elohim, Your Elohim, has anointed You With the
oil of gladness more than Your companions. Footnote: 1Heb. 1:8-9
Ivrim/Heb 1:8 But to the Son He says, “Your throne,
O Elohim, is forever and ever, a sceptre of straightness is the sceptre of Your
reign.
Heb 1:9 “You have loved righteousness and hated
lawlessness. Because of this, Elohim, Your Elohim,has anointed You with the oil
of gladness more than Your companions.”
True and everlasting joy is not based on the events of
the moment, but on the fulfillment of His Redemptive promises and their deep
impact upon our lives.
Gen 21:4 And Aḇraham
circumcised his son Yitsḥaq when he was eight days old, as Elohim had commanded
him.
This action soon after the birth of Yitschak proves once
again that only on the eighth day of our present world system that is
the beginning of the eight thousandth year will YHVH have brought us into
complete perfection into His presence as it was in the Garden of Eden.
Circumcision reminds us of this reality and that in our flesh we will not be
able to stand in the presence of the Almighty.
Gen 21:5 And Aḇraham
was one hundred years old when his son Yitsḥaq was
born to him.
Gen 21:6 And Sarah
said, “Elohim has made me laugh, and everyone who hears of it laughs with me.”
Gen 21:7 And she
said, “Who would have said to Aḇraham that Sarah would nurse children? For I have borne
him a son in his old age.”
In the natural this was completely impossible.
Gen 21:8 And the
child grew and was weaned, and Aḇraham made a great feast on the day that Yitsḥaq was
weaned.
We don’t have examples of children celebrating birthdays
in the scripture. In verse 8 we read about a great feast that was given because
a child was no longer feeding on breast milk. In ancient days children could
breastfeed on their mothers for several years. This event marked an important transition
in the life of the child where he or she was now no longer reliant on the
nurturing breast feeding of their mothers but had gone on to be self- reliant
in terms of their diet.
Spiritually we see that we too need to come to that place
where we are able to feed ourselves from the Word of YHVH and find sustenance
and encouragement from the revelation we receive from Him when we study and
apply His Word – His Torah
The Hebrew word for “weaned” is “gamel” this word is also
used to describe a camel. This reminds us that camels learn to endure great
distances of travel without having to stop for water because they store large
quantities of water within their bodies. So we as believers need the supply of
the revelation of YHVH’s Word to endure the challenges along life’s journey.
Gen 21:9 And Sarah
saw the son of Haḡar the Mitsrite, whom she had borne to Aḇraham,
mocking.
Gen 21:10 So she
said to Aḇraham, “Drive out this female servant and her son, for
the son of this female servant shall not inherit with my son, with Yitsḥaq.”
In the book of Yasher chapter 21 we
read the following:13 And when Isaac was five years old he was sitting with Ishmael at the door of the tent.
14 And Ishmael came to Isaac and seated himself opposite to him, and he took the bow and drew it and put the arrow in it, and intended to slay Isaac.
15 And Sarah saw the act which Ishmael desired to do to her son Isaac, and it grieved her exceedingly on account of her son, and she sent for Abraham, and said to him, Cast out this bondwoman and her son, for her son shall not be heir with my son, for thus did he seek to do unto him this day. End quote.
Gal 4:28 And we, brothers, as
Yitsḥaq
was, are children of promise.
Gal 4:29 But, as he who was born according to the
flesh then persecuted him born according to the Spirit, so also now.
Gen 21:11 And the
matter was very evil in the eyes of Aḇraham
because of his son.
Gen 21:12 But
Elohim said to Aḇraham, “Let it not be evil in your eyes because of the
boy and because of your female servant. Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen
to her voice, for in Yitsḥaq your seed is called.
Gen 21:13 “And of
the son of the female servant I also make a nation, because he is your seed.”
Gen 21:14 And Aḇraham
rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water, which he gave to
Haḡar, putting it on her shoulder, also the boy, and sent
her away. And she left and wandered in the Wilderness of Be’ĕrsheḇa.
Gen 21:15 And the water in the skin was used up, and
she placed the boy under one of the shrubs.
Gen 21:16 And she went and sat down about a bowshot
away, for she said, “Let me not see the death of the boy.” And she sat opposite
him, and lifted her voice and wept.
Gen 21:17 And Elohim heard the voice of the boy, and
the messenger of Elohim called to Haḡar
from the heavens, and said to her, “What is the matter with you, Haḡar? Do not fear, for
Elohim has heard the voice of the boy where he is.
Gen 21:18
“Arise, lift up the boy and hold him with your hand, for I make a great
nation of him.”
Gen 21:19
And Elohim opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went
and filled the skin with water, and gave the boy a drink.
Gen 21:20
And Elohim was with the boy, and he grew and dwelt in the wilderness,
and became an archer.
Gen 21:21
And he dwelt in the Wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for
him from the land of Mitsrayim.
Gen 21:22
And it came to be at that time that Aḇimeleḵ and Piḵol, the commander of
his army, spoke to Aḇraham, saying, “Elohim
is with you in all that you do.
Gen 21:23
“And now, swear to me by Elohim, not to be untrue to me, to my
offspring, or to my descendants. Do to me according to the kindness that I have
done to you and to the land in which you have dwelt.”
Gen 21:24
And Aḇraham said, “I swear.”
Gen 21:25
And Aḇraham reproved Aḇimeleḵ because of a well of
water which Aḇimeleḵ’s servants had
seized.
Gen 21:26
And Aḇimeleḵ said, “I do not know
who has done this deed. Neither did you inform me, nor did I hear until today.”
Gen 21:27 So
Aḇraham took sheep and
cattle and gave them to Aḇimeleḵ, and the two of them
made a covenant.
Gen 21:28
And Aḇraham set seven ewe
lambs of the flock by themselves.
Gen 21:29
And Aḇimeleḵ asked Aḇraham, “What are these
seven ewe lambs which you have set by themselves?”
Gen 21:30
And he said, “Take these seven ewe lambs from my hand, to be my witness
that I have dug this well.”
Gen 21:31 So
he called that place Be’ĕrsheḇa, because the two of
them swore an oath there.
Gen 21:32
Thus they made a covenant at Be’ĕrsheḇa. And Aḇimeleḵ rose with Piḵol, the commander of
his army, and they returned to the land of the Philistines.
Gen 21:33
And he planted a tamarisk tree in Be’ĕrsheḇa, and there called on
the Name of יהוה, the
Everlasting Ěl.
“The tamarisk tree has
long been a symbol of hospitality, dating back to ancient times in the land of
Israel. It is a tree that thrives in the desert, growing strong and protecting
travellers with its pleasant, cooling shade. According to the scriptures,
Abraham planted a tamarisk tree upon his arrival in Beersheva. Today, the
tamarisk is frequently planted throughout Israel, sprouting up in parks along
the boulevards of its coastal cities”.
This is also a
deciduous tree and it “dies” and comes back to life again.
“Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall
off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally”.
Gen 21:34 And Aḇraham
sojourned in the land of the Philistines many days.
Beersheva means “seven wells or well of the oath.” Wells
in the Torah remind us of the special revelation YHVH gives to those in
covenant with Him.
Beersheva speaks of a place of complete surrender to
YHVH, this covenant YHVH made with Avraham here is the covenant of our
salvation, it is the covenant that brings us into a right relationship with
YHVH and our fellowman. This is a great revelation because it is the corner
stone revelation upon which all other revelations and covenants come from.
“Baruch atah YHVH,
Eloheynu, Melech ha-‘Olam, asher natan lanu Toraht-emet, v’chay-yeh o’lam
nata-b’tochenu. Baruch atah YHVH, noteyn ha-Torah. Ameyn.”
(Blessed are you Yahweh,
our Elohim, King of the Universe, you have given us your Torah of truth, and
have planted everlasting life within our midst. Blessed are you, Yahweh giver
of the Torah – Ameyn
Please note these notes
are under construction and are subject to correction and are in no way a final
authority on any subject.